A Plethora of Predicaments
by BreathtakingNoises
Summary: AU-ish, set within the very first episodes of the series. She has no memory of herself, of what she's done; with an understaffed village and an unexpected enemy just around the corner, things get deadly - and fast. Rated T for dark themes and swearing.
1. Chapter One : Not as It Seems

**Hello there! C: This is just a story I've been working on and off for the past month or so. I won't be updating this regularly, but I have the story around 30% finished at 9500 words so far. This is the first (and very short) part, so I do hope you enjoy!**

**As for my Sherlock fic and everything else I plan to upload - they'll have to wait for a long time, when I'm free from school and I can get started. Sorry for making you guys wait so long, but if you're fans of Naruto hopefully this will hold you over.  
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**And as always, I own nothing.  
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When I woke up for the first time, it was dark.

That much I could tell; otherwise I knew nothing. Not my name, age, but at least I suspected I was female; other than that, I felt like an alien. Deciding not to dwell on the unsettling thought of the...emptiness inside of my head, I began feeling around my surroundings. My eyes were open, but they couldn't see much - looking closer, I could see the outline of a tree and branches. Reaching my hand out, I realized it was cold, very much so. And here I was, lying on the ground, even without a name. That was certainly odd.

And was even more strange was the fact that I had absolutely no idea who I was. Not what I liked, what I disliked; no names of family, friends, pets. Nothing. It was like somebody had taken my mind and wiped it free of all personal memories. Somehow I knew about these things, like family and friends and gender and age but there was just...nothing. I had no idea.

Forcing myself once again to not dwell on the very unsettling thoughts, I reached around, ignoring the biting cold and faint breeze that stirred through wherever I was, I took stock of my physical condition. I was on the ground - there was grass or some sort of vegetation, and it had probably left marks everywhere on my body as it was rough and scraggly - and I was cold - well, that was a huge understatement. I was freezing. Absolutely, completely frozen to the bone. It wasn't that kind of cold that made your teeth chatter and wish for somewhere warmer, it was the slow kind of freezing that you wouldn't even notice until you realized just how cold it was outside. What I was wearing wasn't helping against the chill - speaking of what I was wearing...

It felt like my clothes were stiff and I could smell some sort of iron - oh gosh, that better not be blood. I tried to sit up to investigate closer but my muscles screamed in protest, frozen stiff from the cold. I winced, settling back down on the frozen ground, now realizing that the scent of blood was everywhere. It stifled my breathing, making me sick. After a few moments of careful breathing I gagged and pain or not, had to find some way of getting away from the smell, which required scrambling about on the ground that was colder than ice and the random sticks, rocks and roots that came my way weren't any help to my cause. But crawl across the ground I did, gritting my teeth the entire way to keep from giving in to the pain or breathing in too much of the foul smell.

After about a minute of freezing agony, I finally gave up and flopped back onto the ground, wincing as a stick dug into my side. I hadn't been able to get away from the smell and as a result I was breathing shallowly, and I felt light-headed and somewhat dizzy... oxygen deprivation wouldn't help a thing then, now would it? I guess I would just have to suck it up and breathe, goddammit.

Closing my eyes, I took my first huge breath and forced myself to not think about the amount of blood that I was breathing, the absolutely horrid stench about the air which I so desperately needed -

Shit, this wasn't working.

I gagged again, this time heaving up the empty content of my stomach, which burned my throat and made my eyes water. This had to end or I would pass out and then wake up in exactly the same predicament... And to get the blood off of me, I had to find water.

Suddenly, I brought myself to my knees, wincing at the amount of energy it drained from my muscles and the screams of protest from my joints and muscles, but also a rather nasty headache that was starting to form. At the very least, I had to get this damned blood off of me. It hadn't even occurred to me to be alarmed that I was covered in blood - which was odd, I supposed - but I didn't feel any rather large wounds, so it probably wasn't mine. Which was pretty bad; almost worse than the former but as of now I didn't' really give a damn.

After a few moments of pondering over my strange situation I forced myself to my feet, and I swayed for a moment as the blood rushed to my head, but otherwise I was just cold and lost. It was a good thing - a very good thing, in fact - that I hadn't stumbled and fallen back down to the ground again, otherwise I was sure that I wouldn't have been able to get up. Feeling heavy and clumsy, I made my way across the uneven ground, seeing other trees. It took a few moments to register but eventually I realized I was in some sort of forest, and it seemed that it was one untouched by civilization. There were no signs of human life anywhere - not even a fence or a lost shop or anything that would indicate I was anywhere near another person - and it was starting to scare me, quite a bit actually.

I trekked my way through the wild forest, gritting my teeth against the cold and my screaming body and everything horrible that was permeating the fabric of my existence; I just kept going, keeping my mind blank and empty. If I had thought about something, it was sure to be morbid as I had no memory of anything other than this forest and the blood and the cold. It would have sapped all of my willpower and I would end up dying here - so think I did not.

After an unknown period of thoughtless wandering, I came to a path, and I couldn't help the wide smile that curved my face. If there was a path, and a dirt one at least, I would just have to follow it to find somebody, anybody. Stumbling towards the dirt road carved into the earth, I resolved to follow it for as long as I could manage until I found either somebody to help me or a river. The heavy stench of blood still filled my nostrils and although I had somewhat acclimated to it, I was still gagging almost every time I breathed.

I have no idea how long I was making my way along that path, but the seconds and minutes and hours seemed to blend together so seamlessly that I wouldn't be surprised if I actually hadn't moved at all. After some seamless seconds, or perhaps hours I ended up staring in awe at the greatest two doors I have ever seen. There was a nasty crick in my neck and I was probably giving myself whiplash just by craning my head upwards but the doors were so massive it was hard not to look up at them. The sun was just coming up-meaning it was morning, although it took me a while to realize that-and it gave the most beautiful look to the doors.

I turned my head back to a normal angle, somewhat resolving the problem of whiplash but my neck still hurt somewhat, although the other, newfound pains in my body were overshadowing the other, less severe pains. I hadn't exactly been aware of anything until I had seen these doors, and now I realized that my feet hurt like the dickens and my back and side weren't in much better shape, either. To make matters worse, I had the worst imaginable headache and I felt like I could fall over and topple to the ground at any minute - but I didn't care. I would have to keep trudging on, to go through these doors - or a gate, perhaps it was an entrance - to find civilization. I wasn't dead yet.

I was about to enter through the doors when a hand on my shoulder stopped me. There was mass confusion on my part - shapes had become blurry, everything a muddles mass of colors and sounds that I couldn't make heads or tails of. I saw quadruple of everything, perhaps more - I could barely tell what was what-but all I could see was white, red, some sort of mask, but there were so many...and a shuriken. I tried to flinch away from the blade but ended up somehow swaying and falling onto it and to the dusty ground, bathed in the distant light. It rushed up to meet me, and I closed my eyes finally in a blissful sleep.

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**Constructive criticism, anyone? :)**


	2. Chapter Two : Alive and Well, or Not

**Hello there! :) I'm terribly sorry for the long wait; I've been busy even though I should be on break, and changing my entire idea for this story and having to re-write it didn't really help either. Thank you to the two reviews I've gotten that have asked me to update; this probably wouldn't be here without their prodding. I don't own Naruto or any parts thereof. Now, without any further ado, I present the second installment!**

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When I woke up for the second time, everything hurt.

It was as if somebody had taken rocks and stoned every inch of my body, and then taken sandpaper and grounded down my throat, as well as my eyelids and my mouth. I was ridiculously sore from my previous antics, and when I tried to flex my muscles to at least try and get some sort of blood flowing back into them, I was met with a surprising predicament-I couldn't move them. Not my arms, not my legs...nothing. I should be able to move! I had been strong enough to survive, then at the very least I should have been able to move, unless...

Gulping slightly and inching my eyes open, I closed them for a moment before fully taking in my surroundings, noticing with a spark of delight that the scent of blood was completely gone, and with it, the nausea and dizziness that had caused so much grief. But where was I?

It was bright, so intensely bright that the pain seared through my entire body. Perhaps the light was tearing my skin off, for that was certainly what it felt like. After a few moments, the pain started to fade and things came into focus; I could see the source of the light-some huge lamp or whatnot-and there was a table in front of me. Swiveling my head and finding it pleasant that I was still able to, I could see that my body was tied, rather roughly, to a metal chair. Across from the table was the scariest man I had ever seen, although I didn't really want to admit it - but somehow I knew his name. It was Ibiki Morino, right?

The man started speaking and in that instant his identity was confirmed, and I was sure that any sort of normal person would be intimidated by the countless scars lacing his entire body, but I wasn't a normal person. At least, I thought so; a normal person wouldn't have been able to survive like I had. Even so, he was intimidating, and alarm bells were sounding off through my head, the urge to bite down on my tongue until I bled out imminent. I didn't know why, but I would have to get away from this man; I wasn't going to kill myself, as that would be utterly pointless, but I still felt this urge to run away and never look back.

Why couldn't I remember anything?

But before I could explore the question and possible answers, his voice interrupted my thoughts. He spoke so quickly and so loudly that I was taken back, but it was a trick used for getting the truth out of people; even I couldn't be that stupid.

"Who the hell are you and why the fuck are you doing in our village?"

...Village? So those doors were an entrance into a village? Hm. They probably thought I was some sort of threat. Ha! Me, a threat when I was tied to a chair, unable to move! A languid smile curved on my face, despite the pain, and I answered back, at first surprised bow incredibly raspy my voice was and how much it actually hurt to talk.

"What, you think that's going to work? I don't know, if you want an honest answer." I shrugged. "Don't really remember much of anything…"

My voice trailed off, and I already felt like I was going to lose the food I didn't have in my stomach from that statement, my nausea returning almost instantly. I coughed - hacked, more like - and ignored the slightly puzzled stares from the man in front of me. I must have looked like a pitiful sight, for how I was talking... But the words had tumbled out of my mouth without even thinking. Perhaps that was what a type of person I was – snarky and overconfident. If so, I kind of liked being snarky, but the overconfidence wouldn't really do much of anything except get me killed.

I seemed to calm down some more, and suddenly Morino started to get more irritated. The man sat down in the chair across from me after he switched off the light that was searing my retinas; I smiled lightly, thanking him without words for the gesture which was most likely a ploy to win me over, but he seemed just as brash and mean as he had before.

"Are you a Shinobi?"

He seemed to think he knew the answer to that question, but he was expecting an answer? I remained silent for a moment, hoping he would know the answer, for I had none. After repeating the question to me, I answered with the question that was at the front of my mind – what was a Shinobi, anyway?

The man gave me the most condescending, what-the-hell-are-you-even-human look I've ever seen. I shrank away from his gaze slightly, hating that he didn't think of me as equal and closed my eyes slightly as I searched for a way out. This was it; he would think that I was lying. The look he had just given me suggested that he was going to tear my mind apart in search of the lies he thought I was giving; I had no doubt that he would do anything - anything at all - to get the information out of me. I should have lied instead; I should have said no and then he would most likely treat me less cruelly, but even then I doubt he would have been any nicer, for he seemed to already know that answer to the question.

"Not much for giving answers, are you? Fine. Then I'll help you out, since you don't seem to apt to cooperate and I'm so nice. Your answer should have been yes. I have no doubt you know what a Shinobi is, since you were wearing the headband of one when you literally stumbled into our village. Now, do you care to answer correctly so I don't have to punish you? I'll ask again. Are you a Shinobi?"

I blinked, the words there but making no sense. He honestly expected me to answer that with a yes? I hated to admit it, but I had no idea what a Shinobi was anyway. So, I answered truthfully.

"I don't know."

He analyzed my face for a few more moments before saying, completely calm, "Who is Orochimaru?"

I narrowed my gaze, suspicious of his sudden change in character. It had been a ploy? Of course it had been – I couldn't put anything past this man, not even his own emotions. It seemed like he actually believed me; that was good. At least I wouldn't be punished or whatever he had promised if I lied to him again. But as soon as he mentioned that name, Orochimaru – memories came flooding back. Although they were real memories, they weren't near pleasant, and I found myself cringing away from what came bubbling up from the blank surface of my mind. Hate, the pain of loss, slowly losing sanity. A white, snakelike face, with a voice nobody could trust. A flash of cool, dark corridors made of stone; torturous screams and above all, anger.

I couldn't formulate these memories into words, for it was so unspeakable that I could barely even think about it myself. A tear came sliding down my cheek – showing weakness, but caring would have to wait for later – and eventually, after a few moments of silence, I found the words I had been searching for.

"He's a monster."

Morino nodded curtly, seeming to accept the answer I had given him. I was still swimming in my own emotions of shock and whatever else had been conjured up from nowhere, only by the mention of a simple name. Exactly how terrifying did this man have to be to even scare me at the mention of his name? I didn't think I would be scared that easily – so far, I was overconfident and snarky, but then I shouldn't be scared by anybody.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't even notice when Morino got up and left the room altogether, leaving me with my thoughts. Even though I wanted to figure out who exactly this monster was I was too exhausted. Surviving was hard work, it turns out. Oh well – thinking could wait for later. Slowly, my eyes fluttered closed and my head tilted forward, my breathing evening out as I fell into a deep slumber.

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**Please review? :)**


	3. Chapter Three : Well, This Sucks

**Long time no see! I'm sorry for the wait on this chapter; it took a while to flesh out the storyline, but I think it's mostly under control now. Updates will continue to be spontaneous, perhaps more few and far between as I still have mountains to write. I've included a bit (or rather, a lot) of what I planned to put in the next chapter as a peace offering; this chapter is split into a few more scenes than I would have liked, and is certainly not as long and drawn-out as it should be, but this is small compared to what the plot's going to turn out to be. Anyway, I'll let you get onto the reading now. Cheers!**

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When I woke up for the third time, I was even more tired than I had been before I fell asleep.

After a few moments, I realized that I could actually move, although this wasn't much of a consolation due to the fact that almost any sort of movement would send shooting sparks of pain throughout my body. Somebody had untied me, and I was now slumped in the same chair I had been before, in the same bland room with the same person sitting –

Wait. That wasn't Ibiki Morino. I blinked, eyes adjusting to the lack of light. My eyes searched over the face of the person across the table, and I found out that I had no idea who he was. Nothing. Blinking, I tried once more to at least tag his face with a name, but to no avail. Long blond hair, green eyes; I stared at him, trying anything to guess who he was – but nothing! He wasn't exactly the most unusual-looking interrogator I'd seen but if I'd recognized Morino, then why not him…?

He smiled, as if there was nothing wrong with the situation. It wasn't a genuine smile, and only reminded me of Orochimaru, and how he smiled no matter what was happening; I couldn't remember much else except for his smile. There was a long stretch of silence for in which nobody spoke – he just kept smiling like this was the greatest event of his life.

I attempted to roll my eyes, but it sparked a pounding headache; speaking was easier, took less effort. "Who are you?" I hadn't really meant to, but the words sounded condescending and rude.

He seemed to take the tone I had used personally, the smile vanishing from his face as quickly as it had appeared. "I'm sorry? I should be asking the same question. It's not a good idea, you know, to be so rude in front of me. I could either help you or hurt you – but that's your decision."

I stared at the man, silent while my mind was turning. He was an interrogator, no doubt - who the hell else would they send to talk to me? I supposed it would be better for everybody if I just cooperated; so cooperate I would.

"Fine. Then you can help me. Where am I?"

He shrugged. "What you obviously don't realize is that you have to help me before I can help you. And to do that, you need to sit still. Relax your mind..."

I narrowed my gaze, somewhat confused and rather suspicious, but I did what I was told to. I tried to relax my mind, but I was a mouse caught in a trap - it wasn't exactly easy. My eyes fluttered closed and I forced them to stay that way, blanking out any thoughts. I expected him to kill me or something, but I felt calloused fingertips on my forehead and my eyes snapped open, only to see him give me a slight smile, looking more genuine and trusting this time. "I won't hurt you. Relax."

So relax I did.

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After the strange blonde interrogation guy was done - I don't even really know what he did - I was thrown in a rather uncomfortable cell for an immeasurable amount of time. Banging on the door, I asked for somebody, anybody who could give me answers – but to no avail. Sighing, I looked around my new home; at the very least, it was better than being tied to a chair and questioned. There was a bed, but it looked more like the frame of the bed and a sheet, the mattress long gone. There was also a toilet shoved in the corner, as well as a sink that spat out running water, to my surprise. But besides from that, there was nothing. The walls were gray, the floor was gray, and it felt like I was starting to grow gray myself. I tested the tap water myself, the parched feeling of my mouth too hard to ignore, and found it surprisingly easy to down. I plopped down on the bed, wincing at how hard it was – why, it was no softer than the floor. Sitting there, I realized that I could be here for a long time. There was probably a lot of administration to go through, and throwing me in a cell like this was probably until they could get clearance to have me killed…

I sighed, laying down on the sad excuse for a bed. It wasn't long before my eyes closed, and I drifted off into an uncomfortable sleep.

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It must have been weeks, perhaps months that I was stuck in that hole. There were no windows, and the only light came from a lantern hanging far out of reach. I wasn't even certain I would see daylight again. The bed was tolerable once I got used to it, and the food was nauseatingly disgusting, but I could manage . The only word I could possibly describe it was would be boring. I had nothing to do except let my mind wander, long after I had given up on recovering my memories. I thought of worlds beyond, places where people lived in harmony and didn't have to lock up other people like this - but where there are people, there are inevitably problems. It was a basic fact, one of those universal concepts I think. So I decided that this world without conflict would have to be without people or any form of intelligent life. I was sitting on the ground, my head bowed and my legs crossed, deep in thought and trying as hard as I could to ignore the creeping cold enveloping my body and contemplating this world without conflict when there was a sharp rap on the door.

"Get up, prisoner. You're due for an appointment with the Hokage, and you better be ready."

An appointment with the Hokage? Did that mean I was finally free of this horrid cell? Dreadful anxiety started pumping through my body, tempered only by excitement. I hoped it was a sunny day. The sun - how I missed it so. I got up, my legs somewhat trembling from nerves and lack of use as the door opened sharply, the guard staring at me, obviously bored. I walked past him, glancing on the symbol on his headband - the symbol I had seen on every other person I had met. It had to do with something important. Ibiki had said I was wearing a headband of a Shinobi... did that mean I was a Shinobi, and these people were too? Of course, that was it - but I didn't get what the symbol meant. Perhaps there were other symbols, in other villages... But I shrugged it off. I was probably just going crazy from being in a cell, alone, for a very long time; my thoughts couldn't be trusted on things said so long ago.

I walked out of the door, and was met by an equal amount of dark gloom, as well as another guard that somehow topped the look of being even more bored than the other one, wearing the same headband. I followed him up flight after flight of stairs , and through a random maze of corridors that eventually got brighter until we reached what seemed like a lobby – a normal lobby - and sunlight streamed in through the floor length windows, almost blinding me. It was beautiful, so absolutely beautiful I could have cried despite the two guards now flanking me.

We walked through streets and around various places in what I assumed to be the main town; after a while, two more masked guards appeared in front and behind me, seemingly coming from nowhere. I jumped at their sudden appearance, but when they didn't even look my way I supposed they weren't going to kill me yet; and what was I going to do about it, anyway? I wish I at least had any idea what was going on – for all I knew, they could be having a surprise party. Seeing as I didn't know when my birthday was, they might be celebrating something… Sighing, I walked towards what I feebly hoped wasn't my own demise.

We arrived at this sort of huge building, and I followed the guard in front of me as we walked up the stairs, inside the building, and through a set of doors into what I could only assume was the Hokage's office. It didn't look like they would execute a prisoner here, at least... The place was too nice. There were even potted plants - obviously they wouldn't put plants where they spilled blood, so I relaxed slightly.

Along one wall was a huge row of windows, and I stared out of them for a moment, marveling at the view of the village and how high up we were - what a powerful village this may be. There were various people around the edges of the room but sitting behind a desk, in a red and white outfit, was the man himself - this had to be the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. His name drifted to my lips and I whispered them to myself, testing out the name on my tongue. I hadn't spoken in a while, and it hurt to even whisper. However, nobody seemed to notice and the escort led me to the middle of the room, then scattered to the edges.

He smiled faintly at my arrival, and I could only frown slightly in return. "Ah. You're our memory-loss patient then, hm? Nice to finally meet you."

I smiled uneasily, feeling faintly sick. First of all - patient? Since when had I been a patient; was that cell some sort of crude hospital? And his kindness - was that just a ploy? This has to be a ploy. Nobody would be this pleasant, especially as I was a prisoner; I bet they were planning where they would kill me this very moment...

Since I wasn't speaking, he continued plowing on. "I read over your case, and it's interesting. You know under any other sort of circumstances, you would be executed immediately by the hand of anybody who saw you?" the surprise on my face indicated that I had, in fact, no idea of what he was talking about. This situation was that drastic? I had no idea, thought I was just some sort of prisoner of this Orochimaru guy. And he continued, after being handed a file by one of his subordinates. He flipped t open and looked it, all the while speaking.

"You're technically a different person, not having most of your personal memories-" He paused, and took a fraction of a second to glance at somebody behind me, but then continued, still reading the file he had been given. "-and we can't kill you to save us all some time. But since we're painfully short-staffed and need the cell you were in, I've arranged for you to stay in an apartment close to here."

I nodded, and released a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. That meant I would live another day, to be somewhat free in this village of the people I couldn't tell who were enemies or friends. Obviously I would be watched by somebody, but at least I would get to live...

I thought Sarutobi would have said more, but he was finished, turning back to his papers without so much as a glance towards me or one of his subordinates.

I was led out of the Hokage's office and back down the flight of stairs, into the sunlight again. It sort of burned my skin with prickly warmth, but I was happy that it was still there - happy that I was wrong for once. Sometimes, I realized, being right isn't all it's cracked up to be.

The apartment radiated a sort of cheery warmth that I found comforting; it was nice, but shabby enough to be homey. The walls were a pale peach color, and the curtains were a dull yellow - not the best match - but it was okay. It was small, but I supposed that they didn't think I would have needed a mansion. I was let into the apartment, and as fast as I could I shut the curtains and fell onto the bed, my body exhausted and sore beyond measure. It wasn't long before I passed out, still in my clothes and on top of the covers.

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**Any sort of review would be greatly appreciated :)**


	4. Chapter Four : Not Exactly Fun

**Hello everyone! I'm pleased to report that my writing has grown to a reasonable pace and I was able to finish this chapter quite quickly, to the aid of lots and lots of music. Since chapters are separated by when the main character falls asleep/passes out/etc., this one was actually around twice to three times the size of a normal chapter! Although I'm trying my best to balance writing with everything else going on in my life, sports and school start very soon, and as a result updates won't be nearly as frequent, I'm sorry. Anyways, I'll release you onto the next installment of APoP! :)**

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When I woke up for the fourth time, I was warm, content and for once well-rested.

Smiling sleepily, I nuzzled my face into the soft comforter and slowly opened my eyes as they adjusted to my surroundings. Being sprawled on the bed, I could just make out the nightstand next to me with a clock, reading four thirty in the afternoon in white numbers. I had slept for almost an entire day, at least that's what my aching joints and still sore muscles told me. It was a struggle to sit upright due to the pain, but I figured I could find a hot shower somewhere to help remedy that. Speaking of - I couldn't even remember the last time I took a shower, which was disgusting enough in itself. That would be my first order of business, and second would be to find something to eat, hopefully more tasty than the crap they served in the local prison cells. I couldn't eat when I felt more disgusting than a garbage bin; eating would have to wait for a little while.

Yawning loudly, I stood up although I was dizzy at first and started towards the common room in the middle of the apartment. It was small, but not uncomfortably so; there was a loveseat and a few chairs centered around a small glass table, making it the biggest room in the place. I opened the curtains, wincing slightly at the sunlight that streamed through and hurt my eyes, but part of me was happy that it was sunny outside and not dull and rainy. I hated the rain, I suddenly decided - sun was better, much better.

Remembering my endeavor to find a shower, I resumed opening up the curtains in the apartment and opening every door I could find, coming across a couple closets and a pantry, but I eventually came across a bathroom. Smiling, I took a look around and realized that somebody had been here - there was a bottle of shampoo, as well as a bar of soap placed in a rack. Whoever had been here had hopefully brought more than just soap - my stomach was already growling with hunger, and I needed new clothes. I glanced down at my clothes - completely caked with dried sweat, dirt, and looking much like rags - and winced, taking them off without a second thought, although it was hard on my body.

Looking at my bare skin was hard, especially because it was so mottled with half- healed bruises and fresher ones that I had probably inflicted upon myself in that horrible cell. The older ones were from the ropes, and they would take a while to heal; but still, the thought unsettled me. I shook my head slightly, banishing the thoughts and turned on the handle to start the water.

The shower was hot, and helped to ease the last few events of my life away; I must have been in there for an hour, letting the hot water wash away any bad feelings, the soap scrubbing away emotional scars I gained. I came out feeling a lot better than I had before, and sighed contentedly. I had forgot to shut the door behind me, and if there was somebody stalking me like I had feared they could very well be in the next room... I shuddered slightly, and shut the door quickly, freezing at what I saw after it.

It was a mirror - or more importantly, myself. I hadn't even known what I looked like - I suppose I had other things on my mind. Tracing my jaw line slowly, one hand still clutching the towel around my body, I examined my face with curiosity. I had honestly expected to look much better, more beautiful - but my face looked weary, bags piled under my eyes and there was a purple bruise on my cheek I didn't remember getting. Still, I guess I was pretty - although I was hard-pressed to figure out the color of my eyes, as they were so dark. Settling that they were black, I smiled at myself in the mirror, and found I looked better when I smiled, my eyes not so dark and despairing and the weariness almost vanished from my face, but it would always be there. The shadows in my eyes grew brighter, more carefree and I found I liked myself better when I looked happy. Resolving to smile more often than not, I opened the door and found that there was nobody there, almost to my relief. I didn't think I would be good at talking to people when I wasn't wearing anything except for a towel.

I certainly wasn't going to put on what I had worn for more than a week, but perhaps there would be clothing in the bedroom somewhere - if they had put soap here, why not clothes there? It would make sense. I towel-dried myself as best I could, threw my old clothes in the trash, and walked over to the bedroom, seeing with a frown that the sun had disappeared, only to be covered by a cloud. It took some digging, but I eventually found clothes stashed in the recesses of a closet that looked like it hadn't been touched for years - the clothes didn't smell of dust though; suppose somebody had left them there for me?

Shrugging, I put the clothes on anyways, going once again to the bathroom to see how I looked - it seemed like a luxury now to have mirrors. I was wearing a white v-neck shirt, and dark gray sweatpants that were either too short or they were meant to come down to somewhere around mid-calf, but I wasn't complaining. I wasn't going to walk around naked, anyway. Along with those there was a pair of black shoes, sandal things that looked bearable. I set them at the door, not wanting to wear them out already.

Now that I was rested and fully clothed, I needed food. A thorough search of the cupboards in the apartment hadn't revealed any sort of edible substances; now thoroughly aware of the empty growling of my stomach, I would have to find somewhere to get something to eat, and quickly, lest my stomach engulf me whole as means of another meal. Sighing, and frowning as the sun disappeared behind yet another cloud, I made my way to the door, putting on my sandals quickly; but stopped as soon as my hand was on the knob, contemplating. I would need money in order to buy food. Money that I didn't have.

I could always just steal something to eat. Although I found it hard to sink that low, it would be easy. Something told me I had done this before, a long time ago. And anyway - if I stole from a place that was rich enough, it wouldn't matter much. I would be fine.

I walked aimlessly around the village for a while, my stomach growling all the while. I enjoyed the occasional sunlight, as t looked like it was more cloudy than clear today. It was warm and reassuring, and made me felt like I was home, although I was in an unfamiliar village with people I didn't know who had suddenly decided they had the authority to change my fate. Yeah - that was the last couple weeks or so in a nutshell.

Taking stock of my surroundings, I saw I was in a market of some sort; it appeared to be in the center of town, as the place was packed with crowds of people, all looking to buy something. Stealing here would be easy. I could grab whatever I wanted an leave, blending into the crowd without a fuss. Easy peasy.

I smirked, and scoped out what was easily the largest shop in the entire market; their merchandise was spread out quite far and widely, and at the moment the employees were currently occupied with customers who never seemed to give up asking questions. The place was well kept up, unlike a lot of the other stands; the store made enough money that if something small went missing it wouldn't matter.

I spotted an open crate of oranges and walked up casually to the side of the stand, keeping my eyes trained on nothing particular in the middle distance, making it look like I was trying to find my parents to anybody happening to pass by. Swiftly I pocketed the orange and walked off into the crowd, nobody being the wiser.

I walked for a while until I found an empty bench, only a few paces away from the crowded market. It was a shady alcove, and although I would have preferred to be out in the sun, it currently was being blocked by yet another bitchy cloud. I took the orange out, my stomach growling with hunger. I started to peel it, but a voice interrupted my snack.

He was standing rather lazily - and I thought he probably would've preferred to be leaning on something. He had a mass of silver hair, and one covered eye. Again, he had _the_ headband - those damn headbands were becoming the bane of my existence these days. As he didn't speak at first, I continued to peel my orange, but then he did. I didn't bother to look up.

"You know, you could've asked a Shinobi for money. We would happily have given some to you, as we were informed you didn't have any money and would potentially steal."

I shoved an orange slice in my mouth, shrugging and glancing into his lone eye before looking back down at my stolen orange. "Makes no difference. A cheap orange would go unnoticed in a shop as big as theirs. I'm assuming it was some sort of test, and I failed?"

He shrugged. "Somewhat. They were expecting you to steal something more substantial, but you get the point. Do you want to get some actual food, or is that good for your meal?"

I looked up at him, my orange finished and one eyebrow raised suspiciously. He wasn't telling me off for stealing? That was odd. "Food sounds great, though I'd prefer to cook it myself. More work, but it tastes better." I smirked, clutching the orange peel in my hands. This guy - his name was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't figure it out. It wasn't nearly as frustrating as that blond guy, but still; I knew his face and that he was pretty dangerous despite his general demeanor. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Hatake Kakashi."

I nodded curtly, the name clicking in my mind, along with the warning that I had grown accustomed to around these type of people. I knew he hadn't lied, but yet I didn't know much about him, except for the fact that those tiny warning bells were going off in my head. He had to be a tough opponent; people probably underestimated him, although I doubted he rarely lost battles, due to the lack of scars except for his other eye. From the tone of his voice, it didn't sound like he was happy to meet me at all. "Well, are you going to take me back to the market or what? I have some grocery shopping to do with your money." Although I didn't trust him one bit, he had money for food. I didn't want anybody else touching what I was going to eat, so I would just have to make something myself. Stir fry sounded good.

He smirked, stepping sideways and gesturing slightly with his hand. "After you."

I left my orange peel on the bench - birds or something would eat it, and besides, I was too lazy to throw it away - and made my way back to the market in the now fully blazing sunlight, smiling faintly as I felt the sun reappear into the world.

He followed behind me the entire time I wandered through the market, not saying a word. I went back into the bigger shop I had stolen from before, purchasing some rice and sauce along with various fruit and vegetables. Setting the food on the counter, I stepped back to allow Kakashi to pay - of course, he left a rather generous tip, to make up for the missing orange. I had mainly bought produce, but also a couple of ready-to-eat meals for when I might need them. I didn't know how long I would be staying in this village or what food I would find along the way, so I guessed that even prepackaged ramen would be okay.

Clutching the bag full of food with both hands we walked back to the apartment. Kakashi probably knew where it was and all - being one of the mysterious Shinobi - but he trailed behind me anyway, appearing too lost in his own thoughts for conversation, which was fine with me. I had a hard time finding the apartment at first, but after a few moments I found my way again.

I turned the doorknob and opened it silently to the slightly cozy apartment, heading straight for the kitchen. Kakashi leaned in the doorframe onto the entrance, appearing to be deep in thought. I turned around, bag still in hand, and asked, "You want to stay? I have more than enough for two..." I had thought I would regret asking him that question as soon as I had asked it, but now that I thought of it, it was probably a good idea. Hopefully I could get some information out of him...

I had just begun scheming one of the many possible ways to get a story out of Kakashi when he shook his head and declined politely, saying, "No thanks, I'm sure you'll enjoy the leftovers. I'm actually really busy tonight, I better get going..." It could've been a trick of the light, but I swear I saw that he looked embarrassed and probably thought the situation was awkward, most likely meaning that he was lying, and I wasn't overly surprised. Kakashi slunk away, not giving me the chance to bid him farewell, and closed the door after him.

I sighed - there went my information. I supposed I would just have to meet up with him again soon...

A smile curled at the edges of my lips, and I finally walked over to the counter and shoved the grocery bag upon it, unpacking my food while I planned of further ways to extract something out of my slightly unsuspecting victim. Looking back on our conversation and analyzing it, he was probably super tough, some sort of ANBU hotshot, but he hadn't exactly been wearing a mask to conceal his presence. He had given me a name - a fake one probably, but nonetheless a name - and he hadn't appeared overly pissed off or anything, I had to take the chance that everything could be a clever ploy and he was playing me like some sort of cheap trick, but my gut instinct said that he hadn't been lying about his name, so I went with it.

Mulling over the short conversation while I grabbed a block of goat cheese and some sort of vegetable, I realized he hadn't asked my name.

...Speaking of my name, what was it?

Hurriedly putting away the cheese and vegetable, my eyes went wide, staring at nothing while I was lost within my own thoughts. This entire time I hasn't even considered my own name, assuming that I had known what it was the entire time. But not that I thought of it... I had no idea. Flicking through the names I knew in the database of my head, I saw faces and descriptions like it was some sort of carefully kept archive. Orochimaru, I quickly skipped over. Some sinister kid named Kabuto. Zaku. So many others that were names with faces like this was a round of flash cards, but I didn't even know my own. How sick a twist of fate that was.

Blinking away tears that were forcing their way through the frustration, I cried out in anger. I was so utterly stupid! How could I possibly remember the name of people I didn't even know but not my own? Was it even possible?

I wanted to smash my head against something; perhaps it would help me remember something. The idea was tempting, but I knew it wouldn't help in the long run.

Sinking to the floor, I cradled my head in my hands, shutting my eyes tight as I tried to remember. I knew a hundred names and faces, if not more, but none of them were mine. Nothing clicked. I tried to match my face that I had seen in the mirror earlier with a name - but nothing.

Tears now threatening to spill over, I pounded a fist on the floor, hard enough to elicit a shattering crash from another room. The crash startled me enough to force me to calm myself down, my hands clenching in and out of fists as put the rest of the food away - suddenly, I wasn't hungry any longer; just angry. Shoving the rest of the non-perishable food into a cabinet, I stalked off to bed although it was only seven o'clock, but I knew I wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.

I was right. Tossing and turning, I couldn't calm myself down enough to fall asleep. Frustration and anger, laced with sadness, enveloped my body into a paralyzing limbo that I was afraid I wouldn't be able to escape. Different names and faces popped up in my consciousness but I knew with a sinking feeling that none of them were mine. For the second time, tears streaked down my face, soaking into the pillow as I tried to remember but knew that I couldn't. The covers were kicked off of the bed, pillow thrown across the room in frustration and eyes red from crying. It just wasn't _fair._ How come I could remember everybody elses' name but not my own? I turned over once more, angrily, making a whimpering sound like a dying whale. Futilely, I tried again to match my face with a name - but there was nothing whatsoever. I flopped on my back and stared at the ceiling, tears obscuring my vision. It just wasn't _fair._

After an immeasurable amount of tossing and turning, I decided to take a walk. Perhaps it would help to clear my head and then I would be able to sleep. It appeared that my body was tired but my mind was in turmoil, and I knew I would be exhausted in the morning, whether I got sleep or not.

I slipped on shoes at the last minute, still wearing the clothes I had put on this morning. Shutting the door of the apartment behind me, I walked out into the village, and gasped.

It was stunning. The cliff face with the four faces of past Hokages was absolutely beautiful with the moonlight glinting off the rock. They looked like they had been scrubbed not too long ago, and although I hadn't paid it much attention before it was amazing this late at night. The stars shone like beacons I the sky despite the faint light pollution emanating off the village, and I couldn't help but quirk a faint smile as I gazes around the village. It had a much more exciting, dangerous feel at night, a feeling that I felt more at home with. I loved the sun, but this was something I could get used to.

Stretching off my sleepiness, my feet went off one after the other as I walked aimlessly. I didn't see anybody out this late for a while, but that changed when I spotted people - most likely the mysterious Shinobi - running across the rooftops.

Thankfully they were ignoring me, but it was still kind of scary. I wasn't sure whether this was a nightly thing, or if there was some sort of emergency; either way, I was kind of creeped out. How had they gotten up on those rooftops in the first place? And the roofs were slanted and provided almost no purchases or footholds; they had to be defying gravity or something.

Yawning, I stood in the middle of a dusty street and watched the Shinobi pass me by. None of them had even glanced my way. I supposed they weren't looking for me, then - question was, who or what were exactly looking for?

Sticking close to the light, I made my way towards the edge of the village, towards where the Shinobi had been running at a breakneck speed. The thought that I didn't know my own freaking name was still at the back of my mind, but I was intrigued by what these people were doing. It provided a good distraction, I supposed. I took a left turn down a road I had never been before, trying my hardest to remember the way I had came so I wouldn't be lost later.

Around five minutes later of aimless walking, the buildings thinned out until all I could see was a field and a forest beyond. I had reached the edge of the main part of the village, it seemed - but was this really the edge of the village? From what I could remember, there were massive doors - including a wall - and the entire place had been guarded. It only made sense that this was still part of their territory then.

It looked like a training ground, the grass trodden down until it was scratchy and rather unlike grass. There were three thick wooden poles in the middle of the clearing, as well as a stone behind it that looked like a memorial or something. I didn't care much for those - the dead were gone, it made no sense to cling to somebody you would never see again.

I walked towards the three poles and looked to the surrounding forest. I didn't see anybody around - it seemed as if I was alone. Nameless as I was, I didn't want other people watching me. If this was a training ground, then I would do just that - train.

I didn't have any shuriken or kunai to practice throwing, so I figured I would just practice hand-to-hand combat.

Kicking off my sandals, I winced at the rather rough grass but I figured if I was going to do this, I wouldn't want to kill my shoes in the process. I spread out my feet and began, punching and kicking at an imaginary enemy in the form of one of the wooden poles, adjusting my stance until I could literally feel the energy flowing throughout my body, adding mountains of power to my movements. I eventually moved around until I was on top of the poles and danced around on them for a while, falling a couple times flat on my butt, but I got back up afterwards. I had given up on my search for the Shinobi mainly because I didn't want anything to do with them in the first place, and secondly because I was scared of what they could be doing. I preferred being alone.

I was glad I had gotten out of bed to do this - the movements weren't familiar, but it felt good to be up and moving after so long. I wasn't graceful all the time but I felt powerful, an energy I hadn't felt before flowing throughout my body with every kick, every punch, every dodge of my imaginary enemy. I found myself falling and getting tripped up less and less as time wore on and I got used to hand-to-hand-combat. I was on top of the poles, dancing around and pretend fighting. I only fell from them twice.

I did this fancy jump down from the top of the middle pole, and landed somewhat gracefully on my feet, turning around to throw a punch at the wood. It connected and I winced, the force of the punch vibrating throughout my arm. Turns out, punching wood hurts - that hadn't been a good idea. Examining my arm in the moonlight to make sure it was okay, I stole a glance at the pole, and my eyes widened in disbelief. There were spiderweb cracks in the wood, spreading out from the point of impact to the top of the pole. I back away slightly, disbelieving in what I had just done.

That wasn't possible.

I stared hard at my hand, clenching it in and out to see if it was any different from what it was before, but nothing. I couldn't explain how I had possibly broken a freaking huge wooden thing. I had just been standing on it...

Suddenly feeling very wierded out and insanely tired, I turned around and left the training ground, my head in a daze. There were just too many unanswered questions - I didn't even know my own name! I turned back onto the road, and winced as a sharp rock stung my foot, making me realize I had forgotten my shoes. I hurried back to get them, sitting down for just a moment to slip them on before getting up and leaving the clearing, my mind focused on other things than navigating the dark streets. There were just too many questions that were unanswered, and I made it my utmost goal to find out those answers, but first I needed sleep.

I glanced around, muttering something angry under my breath as I realized I had no idea where I was. I hadn't paid attention to where I was going, and of course I had gotten lost! That was utterly inconvenient. I was exhausted and sure beyond measure, plus there was an unhelpful crick in my neck from gazing at the plentiful basin of stars up above. There was nobody outside that I could ask for directions, not even those mysterious Shinobi - it seemed they were avoiding me now, how helpful. I spotted a bench and hobbled over to it, trying to block out the pain from various parts of my body but failing to do so. Flopping down on the bench, I stared up at the night sky and decided that this would be a good place to sleep for the night. Yawning and too exhausted to continue, I curled up onto the bench and closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep under the night sky, full of stars.

* * *

**Does anybody have any guesses as to who she is? Drop me a line and let me know! :)**


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